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Friday, 8^th March 2013

Dear Colleague

The INMO, together with the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), Civil and Public Service Union (CPSU), the UNITE union and the 24/7 Frontline Services Alliance have come together to organise a nationwide campaign to advise our collective memberships to vote NO to the proposals on the extension to the Croke Park Agreement.

The primary reasons why these unions/organisations have come together, to call for a rejection of the proposals, can be summarised as follows:

• the disproportionate impact on pay from the reduction in unsocial hours payments for shift workers;
• the impact of proposals to freeze and delay normal increments;
• the imposition of longer working hours;
• the draconian redeployment arrangements which will facilitate involuntary redundancies for the first time in a national agreement; and
• proposals to change flexible working arrangements.

The campaign will essentially involve three strands as follows:

1.         A series of information meetings, in towns/cities across the country, which will provide the following:

• a full briefing on the details within the proposals;
• the reasons why these proposals should be rejected; and
• to deal with questions from the audience.

            The dates, times and venues for these meetings, in a town/city nearest to you, are here.....

2.         Nationwide public information campaign involving leaflets and the distribution of other information.

3.         Lobbying of TDs/Senators detailing why the proposals are unfair and anti-family.

All members are asked to make every effort to attend, with colleagues from their workplace, these meetings as it is vital members fully understand the inherent flaws and failings within the proposals.

INMO BALLOTING ARRANGEMENTS

Balloting, for INMO members, will, as previously advised, take place between Wednesday, 3^rd April 2013 and Monday, 15^th April 2013 (inclusive).  Dates, times and venues, for balloting, will be notified/circulated locally.

STANCE OF OTHER UNIONS IN ICTU

It is worth noting that, as of today (Friday, 8^th March 2013), the following is the position of other unions:

As you can see there is already a large majority of unions recommending a NO vote but, obviously, all unions will be carrying out their own ballot and their members will decide through their own democratic process.

The final decision of each individual union will determine how that union votes at a meeting of the Public Services Committee (ICTU) which is scheduled for Wednesday, 17^th April 2013.

LEGAL ADVICE

I also wish to confirm that the INMO is seeking legal advice, with regard to the proposals, particularly on the questions of whether they discriminate against females in the workforce and/or whether they are anti-family.

The first step is to commission a detailed equality audit, of the proposals, by a recognised expert in this area in order to determine the nature, and extent, of any discriminatory elements in what is proposed.  This is ongoing at this time.

SUMMARY

We have now reached the stage when it is necessary for every member, and indeed every public servant, to focus upon what is actually in the proposals and how they will impact upon their income and their overall terms and conditions of employment.

The purpose of the joint union campaign, announced yesterday, is to ensure that every member fully understands the impact of these proposals and why they should be rejected.  The first step, in this exercise, is to have members attend these town/ city meetings, in the coming weeks, so that they learn, first-hand, the reality of what the government is seeking to implement.

Once again thank you for your attention to this note and please bring its contents to the attention of colleagues in your workplace.

Further updates will issue in the coming days.

Yours sincerely

LIAM DORAN

General Secretary